Voter registration deadline extended to October 18 in Florida after Hurricane Matthew

Florida
Gov. Rick Scott speaks at a press conference about the Zika virus
in DoralThomson
Reuters

Update: A federal judge extended the voter registration
deadline in Florida by an additional six days on Wednesday,
making the new deadline October 18.

Judge Mark Walker extended the deadline after the Democratic
Party filed a lawsuit asking for more time after Hurricane
Matthew hit the state. The original deadline was set for Tuesday
and initially extended to Wednesday.

A Florida judge extended the state's voter registration
deadline until Wednesday and will consider giving
voters even more time to sign up after Hurricane Matthew barreled
through the state, The
Tampa Bay Times and the Associated Press reported on
Monday.

"Quite simply, it is wholly irrational in this instance for
Florida to refuse to extend the voter registration deadline when
the state already allows the governor to suspend or move the
election date due to an unforeseen emergency," US District Judge
Mark Walker wrote in his order.

"If aspiring eligible Florida voters are barred from registering
to vote, then those voters are stripped of one of our most
precious freedoms," he added.

The extension comes after Florida Gov. Rick Scott refused to
extend the deadline when the hurricane struck the state
Friday prompting 1.5 million Florida residents to evacuate.

Matthew's devastation resulted in as many as 21 dead in the US
and hundreds more in Haiti, CNN
reported.

Florida's original registration deadline was set for Tuesday, but
on Monday Judge Walker agreed to issue an extension
giving voters until 5 p.m. Wednesday to register and
will decide on a longer period.

"Everybody has had a lot of time to register," Scott said on
Thursday during a briefing on the hurricane. "On top of that, we
have lots of opportunities to vote: early voting, absentee
voting, Election Day. So I don't intend to make any changes."

Florida Democrats argued that not extending the deadline during
the crucial lead-up to the election would effectively
disenfranchise many Florida voters.

For instance, voters who mailed in their registration forms while
mail service was suspended in the midst of the storm may
have missed the registration cutoff.

Walker estimates more than 100,000 voters are expected to
register before the deadline. The judge is expected to hold a
hearing on Wednesday to determine whether the registration
deadline can be extended to October 18.